Horse hay-fork



(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. LOUDENP HORSE HAY PORK.

No 465,380. Patented-Dec. 15, 1891.

777Li7za55 e5. Mew/i074 (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2'.

Wf LOUDEN.

HORSE HAY PORK.

1 I0.465,380. Patented Dec. 15, 1 91.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM LOUDEN, OF FAIRFIELD, IOVA.

HORSE HAY-FORK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 465,380, dated December 15, 1891.

Application filed September 25, 1891- $erial No. 406,876. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM LOUDEN,& citizen of the United States, residing at Fairfield, in the county of Jefferson and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful In1- provement in Horse Hay-Forks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of forks known as grapples and it consists, primarily, in attaching the ropes or chains used to connect the head to'the outer parts of the fork (when its central connection'is released to discharge its load) to an arched support formed upon or of the tines, so that the tines may be easily drawn apart to discharge the hay, and then be held in a balanced position so as to be easily reset in the hay.

It also consists of an improved form of the detachable head, whereby its central connection with the fork can be more easily andquickly made or released, and in other improved details hereinafter set forth, whereby the tines are more easily and securely connected together and-their operation more perfectly controlled.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure, 1 isa side view of my fork, showing it in its open or discharged position. Fig. 2 is a perspective showing the fork in its closed or loaded position. Fig. 3 is. a detail view of the head, the near side being removed to show the working parts. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the pivoted coupling which holds the two sides of the fork together and to which the head is connected to carry the load. Fig, 5 is a sectional view of the arched supports to which the ropes or chains are attached, which is drawn on the line X X in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a top view of one of the connecting-bars B and B, which hold the tines together near their outer ends, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 7 is a sectional view drawn on the line X Y in Fig. 6, showing the attachment of the main tines to the connecting-bars B and B. Fig. 8 is a sectional View, drawn on the line Y Y, showing the attachment to the connecting-bars B- and B of the central tines (or tines, are secured to the central parts of the connecting-bars B and B, and may have their lower ends extended so as to form central tines, if desired, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The upper ends K and K of these central pieces are further held in place by braces F F and F F, secured-to the main tines, as fully shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 5, the whole forming substantial elevated supports, to which the ropes or chains G G, connecting the head H, are secured. The head H is provided with a grappling device to engage the coupling 0, to which the main tines are connected. Elevating-power being applied to the head H, the fork is drawn into the position shown in Fig.2, and all the hay within the grasp of the tines is securely held until the head is released from the coupling 0 by a pull on the trip-cord L. The sustainingpoint is now shifted from the coupling 0 to the points K and K of the arched supports where the ropes or chains are attached, and the coupling will drop and the tines spread apart and discharge the hay.

I claim the following as some of the advantages of this construction over those in common use. The sustaining-points K and K being located centrally over each set of tines and elevated to some extent above them, the coupling 0 will not drop much, if any, below the general level. of the tines and will not require any central spear or other stopping devices to keep it from dropping too low and the points of the tines from being drawn too high to insert in the hay. Also, in discharging the hay it requires a considerable angle between the connecting-chains and the tines from the coupling 0 to the connecting-bars B and B to draw the tines from under a narrow load, and without my arched supports and E, comprising the arched supports,'=are-.-.

also secured to the connecting-bars B and B by clip-bolts J as shown in Fig. '8, so that they can be readily adjusted back or forth to regulate the set andbalance-of the tines,-as desired-. The lower end of the head H is forked, so=that it will straddle the coupling 0. In one-of the forked parts a hook I is pi voted; asshown; and is fitted to engagea hooked catch M.

\Vh'en disengaged from thecatchM;the hook; I drops to the position shown-in Fig; 3, the" point N passing down the'recess -in-thie part" Q until it rests on the closed end below. The

forked end of the head H nowbeing pressed down over the central part of the-couplingO;

thehook I will be rotated bythecoupli ng coming in contact with it at 0 until thepoint N engages the-hook of the catch M, andlthe 1 point P will hold the coupling O securely'in' the fork of the head H. A pull-on the trip cord .L', which is passed over the-sheave R and f secured to the eye T of the catch My willkre lease the hook- I-andallowthe couplilng to drop, as already described.

In order to make the catch M mo-re-efiective, I'use a- T ShapedpinS; Thehorizon-tal armsof this-pin are pivoted in-the sidesof the headILw-hilea coiled springS -encircles-- The'extreme-"point S of 'tho pin passesthrough a hol in the catch *M while the 'sprin g rests in a'recess i inthe'bodyfofthe catch'and holds it in engage-- its lower and pointed end;

ment with the hook I.

The coupling O ismadewith'an elongated! central-partfor the engagement of the'h'ead I-I and'two forked ends U and'U forthecon Thepivoted ends of the I nectionof the tines. tines are placed in th'e'forks-U and U in" pairs, and are held in position 'by a bolt or-pin 0 passed through'the coupling 0, as shown in Fig.4, and also through holes in the ends of the tines; The parts '0 and C" of'lthecoupling coming under 'the tines--f0rm=stopsto prevent the tin'es-from=beingd-rawn=too close "together when in loaded position; as

shownin Fig. 2; This dispenses withthene-z cessity for any extra steps or checking devices, and the whole forms a very simple; cheap, an'd d-urable coupling for grapple-- fork, which'can-be cheaplyj applied'and easily P operated.

Theman' n'er of securin g'the tines to the connecting-bars B and B is plainlyshown'in Fig. 7. Right-angle flanges B are formed on the under sides of theconnecting-bars.Band B transversely, as shown in .F ig;;6f The tines A are set in the angles formed by these flanges and the main body of the connecting-bars, and are held in place by clip-bolts J These flanges B", incombination with the extended points V ofthe connecting-bars B and B, which are made to fit the curve of the tlnes, form. :a very* solid support to hold the tines in place. WVhen central tines are used, central extended supports V" and smaller flanges b .b' canalso'ibe used to strengthen thetines and hold them in place.

Having thus described my invention, What Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is--- 1. Tlie-comb'ination'of' two'sets ofgrapp'lmgtines coupled together; a detachable headxto en gage the coup'lingyarch'edzsupports formed on the tines;- and flexible 'fastenings to connect the-arched supports and detaehable head 1 together, subst antiallyas and for the'purp'ose set forth 2; The combin'ation of; the tines A' an'd-A' detachable 1 head H} chains 1 G and G, and arched supports Kan'd- K,'the-pieces compr s= in g thesupports beingadj'ustablysecured to thefork'; substantiallyas'set forth 3.= The combinationof 'the tinesaA" and A, detachable head H; chains Gand G, arched supportseK and K and th'e pie'ces E and E forming parts=0f the "supports;h'avingstheir lower ends extended so asto '-fo-r'm central tin'es,-.substantially-as-set'forth-L I g 4. In grappling forks;the=coupli ng: 0, hav"-' ing-' an elongated central part' for the *en'gage ment of "a detachable head, and iforked endstoconnect "the tines;substantiall y as shown and'describcdi I H 5. In grappling-forks, the couplinggO, having fo'rked endsU andUQan'd the parts' O and 0 of 'th'e'aforked endsg formi ngastopsto= keep: the tines from being drawn too closely together,-"substantially assetforthzv p u 6! In grappli-n'-g-forks,- the= combination of? the tines pivoted together "byan elongated couplinggand a detachable head fitted "with a trip-catch and connected to thetimes by liexible'fastenings,-.thealower end. of theheadbeingrforked to-"p'assov'er' andengage the:

flanges B with clip-bolts J to hold the tines In testimony whereof I affix my signature in securely to the connecting-bars;substantially the presence of two witnesses. as shown.

10, In grappling-forks, the combination of TILLIAM LOUDEN' the tines A and A with connecting-bars B Witnesses: and B, the connecting-bars being fitted with NELLIE CRAIG LOUDEN, extended points V, adapted to strengthen R. B. LOUDEN.

the tines, substantially as set forth. 

